S H A T T E R E D
by Pebblemist is Hamiltrash
Summary: A nearly fatal accident and the loss of time-travel leaves Cyd's life at stake and her friends and family in shock. Life as they know it begins to shatter, and Shelby, Naldo, and Barry struggle to put together the broken pieces and restore the girl's lost powers. As time starts to run out for Cyd, their friendship will be put to the ultimate test of strength, courage, and loyalty
1. S H A T T E R E D Peace

**ONE**

...S _hattered Peace..._

* * *

"Can you believe we get to see _Crabnormal Behavior_ before anyone else?!" Cyd exclaims loudly, her long, dark hair bouncing with every step she takes. She walks fast, and I have to take long strides just to keep up with her. If we don't hurry, we won't make it to the movie on time- well, not in time for the previews, and Cyd knows that if I don't get to see the previews, I don't feel like I've seen the whole movie. That, and I want some time to get drinks and candy. I really don't even want to see this movie, but it's Cyd's turn to pick, and this beats any of the horror movies she might have usually picked.

"Cyd, Barry's an executive producer- _he's_ seen it!" I argue, putting a little more pep in my step as she steadily pulls ahead of me.

"He doesn't count!" Cyd retorts, and I don't know how to respond with anything other than "He doesn't?!"

It's a cool night, not a cloud in the darkening indigo sky, and a nice breeze ruffles my fluffy blonde hair. I can see a thousand stars glittering over my head, twinkling silver against the dark sky. I feel good, like I know that nothing could possibly go wrong tonight.

The movie theater parking lot is packed when we arrive, and being on foot in the middle of a bunch of cars is a little unnerving for me. Cyd notices, and reassures me that everything will be alright. I still feel uneasy- women's intuition, I guess- but I ignore the feeling of dread deep in my stomach and instead follow Cyd through the lot.

"Huh," Cyd says, scanning all of the cars as we walk past. "Good thing we didn't drive- we'd have to park over at the pizza place!"

"Yeah..." I reply, watching the cars cruise past us. We wait for a gap in them and cross the street together, and I don't see the shiny blue Toyota Corolla pulling out of the parking space just behind us.

We're on the edge of the road now, the theater entrance just feet away, but there's so many people that there's no room for the two of us on the sidewalk. Some people are entering and some are leaving- the stench of alcohol wafts from some of them, and I wrinkle my nose.

Cyd makes a face. "Whoever thought it was a good idea to sell beer at a movie theater concession stand was an idiot."

I laugh, trying not to gag at the smell- it makes my stomach churn and my head ache. "Tell me about it-!" The words die in my thoat, a terrible noise drowning them out before I can register the source of the sound.

 ** _SCREEEEEEEEECH!_**

I raise my chin, eyes widening as it clicks- it's the sound of screeching tires that had reached my ears heartbeats before I realized it. My feet are glued to the road as people all around us move out of the way, but all I see is the bright pair of headlights belonging to the swerving blue Toyota- coming straight at me like a speeding bullet.

A scream builds in my throat, but not a sound leaves my half-open mouth as my brain frantically tells my body to move. It doesn't listen, like my knees are locked and my feet glued to the ground.

"Shelby! Watch out!"

I barely hear Cyd's voice over the blood roaring in my ears. I don't see Cyd's facial expression. I don't see her start to move until the car is nearly on us. All I see in those few seconds is a blur of long, dark hair, and then suddenly I feel a powerful shove, and then I'm on my butt on the sidewalk and safely out of the car's path.

But I barely get a moment to feel relieved, because less than a heartbeat later, I hear a bloodcurdling scream, and I'm not sure if it comes from my mouth or Cyd's.

Then I see it, and I wish I didn't have to.

Cyd had acted just fast enough to save me, but not herself. The car strikes her head on, her body rolls up onto the hood of the car, and the car's momentum sends her through the windshield. The sound of glass shattering is almost as loud as my heart's beats.

The cars keeps going until it slams into a lamppost, denting the front of the car. Time seems to slow down as I watch the car finally stop.

I see everything, and I can't move, not at first. Then suddenly, something spurs me into action, and I'm on my feet, running towards the car, just vaguely aware of the witnesses calling out to me. I ignore them, because nothing else in this world matters until I can get to my best friend.

"Cyd?... Cyd!?" I cry, climbing up onto the hood of the car. The driver of the car is slumped in his seat, unconscious, and he reeks of alcohol. "SOMEONE CALL 9-1-1!" I scream at the bystanders gathering around.

Moments pass and somebody tells me that an ambulance will be here in a few minutes, but I hardly register it. I want to throw up, I want to run away, I want to cry, but I can't bring myself to move.

There's blood. So much blood, more blood than I've ever seen in my life. It's thick and scarlet and pours from the multiple cuts over Cyd's broken, crumpled body. The twisted lower half of her body is inside the car, and the upper half is out. I can see the rise and fall of her chest- it's faint, but it's there.

My stomach lurches as I reach out to her, softly calling her name, over and over again, until ut sounds like less of a name and more of a desperate plea- "Cyd? Cyd?! CYD!?"

This is not happening. It isn't. It can't be. My best friend is not dead. She can't be. She isn't. I refuse to believe it, because it's not true, it's not. But I don't see the rise and fall of her chest any more. It stops.

"Cyd, Cyd, please," I plead, nearly choking on the words. "Please wake up... We gotta go home..."

No response. It's almost like she's... Dead. My hand freezes, just inches from her hand, as the realization crashes down like a heavy rain. A wail rises from my chest, barely escaping my lips before a low groan escapes Cyd's.

"Cyd?!" I cry hopefully, and then she coughs, then inhales, exhales, inhales, exhales. Shallow breaths, but breaths just the same.

Her dark eyes flutter open, clouded in pain, brimming with withheld tears. She blinks, then speaks, she voice a low, hoarse whisper. "Sh...el...byyy.." Tears flood my eyes as I release a breath I didn't know I'd held in. "You're...okay?" she asks softly.

I nod, smiling and swallowing a sob. "Yeah," I told her, "Thanks to you.. But... you're not."

"Touch... So we... Make this... Never happen."

I don't know why I didn't think of that before, but now it seems so incredibly obvious. I pull part of her limp, broken body into my lap, so that her head rests on my thigh and I can easily wrap my arms around her, thinking over and over again about how we needed to get back to the present so that this never happens.

The familiar orange-gold flickering came, then went, flickering like a dying lightbulb, but in the end, nothing happened. I whimper in fear, panic rising in a lump in my throat. "There's a delay in our jump!" I croak.

Cyd groans, blinking up at me with round, dark brown eyes, her face tight with pain. "She..lby...I'm-I'm going to-t-to die, aren't I?" she asks pitifully.

I swallow hard, unable to answer her. My stomach lurches as I look at her broken body. I didn't know what to say to that, because at that moment, it hits me- if Cyd doesn't get help soon... Death was a very real possibility.

"No..." I tell her, "You... You can't... I won't let you, you're not allowed." I try to joke, because I know I'm a bit of a huge control freak, and Cyd has always found it weakly, a smile graces Cyd's features. Then she breathes a soft sigh.

"Sh... el...by..." Cyd whimpers, her dark eyes round and wet with tears. "I'm... scared..."

"I know, Cyd," I whisper gently. "I know...Don't worry... I'm here, I won't let anything happen to you..." I can't fight back the tears- they stream down my cheeks and onto Cyd's skin, which grows paler and paler by the second. A lump rises in my throat, and I swallowed hard.

Cyd keeps talking. "Take care of Diesel for me, okay?" she requests. "And please... Thank your parents again... For taking me in... A-and, when my parents get back from P-Puru, t-tell them I... I love them. 'Cause I never..got...to show it..."

"I won't have to do those things, Cyd," I tell her softly. "I'm going to fix this, alright?"

I decide to try time-traveling again, because maybe now that Cyd's a little stronger, it'll work. My stomach lurches, at the thought that maybe it won't work, and I pull her closer, crying into her shoulder. _Back to the present, back to the present, pleeaase..._ I can't loose my best friend, I just can't...

It doesn't work.

I can hear sirens in the distance. The ambulance is almost here, and then Cyd can get the help she needs. I whimper, praying that it's not too late for her. God wouldn't take away my best friend, would He?"

"Come on, Cyd... Just a little longer, okay?" I ask her gently, watching the lights appear from further up the streets as the sirens grow louder. "You can hold on that long, right?"

No response. Two ambulances and a swarm of police cars came into my view, and I lean down to whisper in Cyd's ear-

"Cyd, please, I can't make it without you... I know it's hard... Just... Don't let go..."

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**

* * *

 _Our friendship was the one thing in life that mattered_

 _And it all could have ended when that glass windshield shattered._

 _They say that good things in this life may never last_

 _But I know we'll be best friends whenever,_ _present, future, and past_

 _-Shelby Marcus_

* * *

 ** _A/N- Hey, guys! Pebblemist here! This is a rewrite of another story of mine_ , I Can't Make It Without You _, which a lot of people seemed to like... Except for me. I wasn't happy with it and decided to rewrite it, and thus this was born._**

 ** _Each chapter will end with a poem from the point of view of Shelby, Barry, or Naldo, in regards to Cyd's condition at the end of the respective chapter. This will actually have an impact in the story later on, so stay tuned for more chapters!_**

 ** _I'm pretty excited about this story, and if you enjoy it, please let me know with a review! They mean a lot to me :)_**

 ** _Stay gold, you people!_**

 ** _\- Pebblemist_**

 ** _P.S. If you can guess what the 'you people' part of my sign off was inspired by, you get a virtual cookie! You'll never get it._**


	2. B R O K E N Pieces

**TWO**

 _...Broken Pieces..._

* * *

I don't remember the ambulance arriving, or the paramedics checking me for injuries. I just know that there are people surrounding the scene now, bystanders and paparazzi and policemen alike. They try to ask me questions, bright lights shining in my face and all, but I don't respond. I can't.

How do you respond when you know your best friend is a heartbeat closer to dying every second?

I hear someone yell at them to leave me alone, but that only makes them surround me further. I'm ready to throw up.

"What happened?"

"Is that girl alive?"

"What did you see?"

"Are you close to the victim?"

The questions come so fast and blurred together, until I can hardly make sense of one before the next one is asked.

I open my mouth to attempt an answer, but all that leaves my mouth is a pitiful squeak as I throw my hands over my face and sob. _Stop it! Stop it!_ I don't know if I think it or say it. All I know is that I'm about to slap the microphone out of a reporter's hand- it's a centimeter from my face and I feel like it's going to suffocate me- when out of the corner of my eyes, I see her.

A split second later, the shriek reaches my ears; " _SHELBY_! WHERE'S _SHELBY_?!

It's Cyd. They're loading her into the ambulance now, and she's screaming my name. She needs me, more than these dumb reporters do. Their story can wait.

"Cyd!" I cry, pushing my way towards my best friend.

...

Sitting in the waiting room of the hospital a while later, I squirm in the uncomfortable plastic chair, staring blankly ahead of me. I scratch at my itching neck with one hand and tap the arm of the chair with the other, keeping time with the tapping of my foot and the ticking of the clock- the seconds seem like hours, the minutes like years.

There's still no news on Cyd's condition. She could be dead, for all I know. But nobody will tell me anything, so I don't know anything, and it is driving me absolutely insane.

It's quiet in this room. Too quiet. I find myself stress-belching to break the silence. I'm the only one in it. I'm usually never alone, not with Cyd around even more when she moved in. But now... Now she might never be around again.

Anxious, I glance at any nurse who happens to walk by and ask if they knew anything- but they all just give me sad looks and shake their head and tell me that they will check for me, and then never come back. It's like the circle of lies.

The most I know is that she's in critical condition. That's kind of obvious, I mean, she was hit by a car and went through the windshield.

Maybe they think I'm too innocent and fragile to know the whole truth, I don't know. Maybe she's dead, maybe she's been dead for an hour and nobody's told me yet. I wouldn't know. What I do know is that with every second that passes, I can feel myself losing hope. It's slow, but steady, and brings more dread with every passing second, eating me up inside.

A while passes and my parents arrive and commence to smothering me with hugs and kisses. I barely bat an eyelid, and I don't respond when they talk to me. There are simply no words to be said. I can't even cry anymore. I don't know why... I just can't. Like, the tears are building inside of me but won't come out. I whimper softly as another nurse passes. No answers. Another lie.

Brett and Chet are at a friend's house, thank God. I don't think I could bear having them here. They wouldn't understand. Not even my parents understand. Mom rubs my back soothingly, whispering reassuring things in my ear. More lies.

I know my parents are hurting, too. Cyd is more than just my roommate; she's like a second daughter to them. She's family.

But it still hurts.

And I still feel alone.

Completely, utterly, _alone_.

I take some time to think. The accident is still so vivid in my head, and I remember everything- the screech of tires, Cyd roughly pushing me out of the way... Her scream of pain, the glass shattering as her body crashes through the windshield. The blood.

I should have been the one hit. Then Cyd would still be okay. If my life was the price to pay for her safety, I'd gladly pay up. Maybe, if Cyd hadn't taken the time to get me out of the way, she could have gone unscathed. I'd rather that.

And then a single thought pierces through my head, and I finally burst into tears-

 _This is all my fault._

Suddenly, I can't breathe. A sharp pain grips my heart, fear coursing through my veins. I cry out in pain and fear, gripping my mother's hand as hard as I can. Anxiety grips my heart, and sobs rack my body. "Help!" I cry out, "Help!" Mom calls for a nurse, and I just keep crying. I can't stop. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I know I can't control it.

A few doctors soon surround me. They tell be to calm down, to breathe, to not let the anxiety take over. But it's too late. It already has. I hear them tell my parents that it's okay, that I'll be fine, that all of the stress is giving me an anxiety attack.

I'm going to be okay, they tell me. But I don't even know what 'okay' means any more. I'm scared, for myself, for how Barry and Naldo will take this, and for Cyd. Especially for Cyd. I know she never did want to grow up, but she just couldn't die on me. Not now. Not ever.

Everything after that is a blur. The last thing I remember is curling up in my mother's lap, and crying until I have no tears left to cry. She just rubs my back. I relax- but only slightly. "Mom?" I whisper softly at a time when I have enough breath to speak, "Will Cyd b-be okay?"

She sighs softly as I lay my head down. "I.. I don't know, sweetie... I don't know."

When it's over, I can feel myself begin to fall asleep, exhausted, but feeling slightly better. My parents are still holding me, and I never want them to let go. My last thoughts before my world goes black are simple, but terrifying nonetheless. They make my stomach lurch as I plunge into the darkness

 _This._

 _Is._

 _My._

 _Fault._

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED..**

 _I know if you knew that I know it's my fault_

 _You'd tell me a lie, try to convince me that it's not_

 _You saw it coming before I did, saved my life, yessiree_

 _But I know, for a fact, that it should have been me_

 _-Shelby Marcus_

* * *

 ** _A/N: What's up, FanFiction?! It's Pebblemist here, with the lastest update of_ _and a really, really depressing poem, again from Shelby's point of view. Trust me, if you think that's sad, just you wait for what I have up my sleeve- not just for this story, but for my GMW fics, too._**

 ** _I apologize for the long wait- settling in a new house + school + church commitments + writer's block = long wait. Luckily, I'm recovering, and I should be posting regularly soon. As for those of you reading_ Unexpected Ties II: Shadows of the Past, _I'm aiming for an April 3rd update, which will then be back on the regular updating schedule, every Sunday. You won't see what I have planned for that coming til it hits you! (just don't follow Cyd's example and go through the windshield, please!)_**

 ** _Other than that, really nothing else to say. Stay tuned for the next update!_**

 ** _Pebblemist out, peace!_**

 ** _Stay gold, you people!_**


	3. D A M A G E D Souls

**THREE**

 _...Damaged Souls..._

* * *

I wake, hours later, to whispers around me. Subtle movements beyond my eyelids betray the presence of more people, but my mind is so foggy that I can't make out any one voice or word. I don't even know where I am, at first, or remember what happened.

It hits me, heartbeats later, in a flood of memories- the movie theater, the car speeding towards me, Cyd pushing me out of the way, her body crashing through the windshield. I relive it all so fast, and I cry out in a sharp squeak.

"Shelby!" hisses a distinctly familiar, certainly male voice- I can finally make out the words now, but the owner of the voice eludes me. "Hey, Shelby, are you awake?"

I groan softly as another voice reaches my ears- "Of course she's not awake, you idiot!"

Ooh. Snappy.

Slowly, I blink open my eyes and lift my tired head, sensitive to the light at first. My vision takes a second to clear, and suddenly I know exactly who's here, and feel stupid for not knowing it in the first place. Add that to my list of opinions about myself.

"See, she is awake!" Naldo cries triumphantly- but it's sort of heart-wrenching to hear his voice sound so soft and shaky and unsure of himself, sharp contrast to the chipper, happy guy I know and love.

"B-Barry?" I whisper, my mouth dry and my voice cracking slightly. I don't know whether to feel relieved that they're here or upset about Cyd. "N-Naldo? What are you doing here?!"

Barry flashes me a weak smile. He looks like he just jumped out of bed, threw on whatever he could find fast enough- a pair of faded blue jeans, a white T-shirt with Albert Einstein's face on it, and a blue and white plaid button down shirt with the collar twisted as if he hadn't looked in the mirror before he left- and sprinted all the way to the hospital. His hair was a mess and their were dark circles under his eyes. Naldo doesn't look any better, and I sure as heck don't either- but Naldo's not wearing his hat. Naldo. Without his hat.

"We came as soon as we heard," Naldo tells me, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Your mom called."

"Where are my parents?" I ask- It hadn't dawned on me until he mentioned my mom that my parents were nowhere to be seen.

"Getting you something to eat," Naldo tells me, and I frown. I'm not really hungry, but I don't say anything about that.

"Hey, Shelby," Barry says gently to change the subject, sitting down beside me. His gaze is soft, his voice unusually gentle for him. "Are you... Alright?"

I sit up slowly, yawning and stretching my cramped limbs. I feel like I haven't slept in a weak- I'm absolutely exhausted. I don't even have the strength to hold myself up for more than a few seconds before I lean into Barry's shoulder for support. He doesn't budge.

There's no point in trying to hide it. Barry's not all that good with emotions, but he knows me well enough to know when I'm lying. "No... I'm... Not," I tell him softly, then move on to the more important question: "But.. How is... Is Cyd okay?"

Barry draws in a deep breath. "Well... She's alive, but... I wouldn't exactly call it 'okay'..."

"You've seen her?" I ask hopefully, internally begging him to say yes. He shakes his head, and then Naldo pipes up.

"We overheard your parents talking to a doctor about her. But they were saying a bunch of really complicated sciencey stuff, so I didn't really understand what any of it meant..." his face turned slightly pink.

I look to Barry hopefully. "Sciencey stuff" is kinda his thing. He closes his eyes and sucks in a deep breath, his face falling. "She's not good..." I don't think I want to hear this, but I listen anyways, even as my heart is ripped into shreds. "She's got several broken ribs, signs of infection in a few cuts, severe blood loss... Luckily, the only brain damage is a minor concussion, but..."

His voice trails off, and he turns away from me so I can't see the tears rolling down his face. My heart pounds in my ears, and I crumple into his shoulder. Barry is crying. I don't think I've ever seen him show this much emotion, let alone cry. It's nerve wracking. "B-but what?" I stammer worriedly, though I don't think I want to know the answer.

Barry sighs and doesn't look at me. "She's paralyzed from the waist down. If she survives, she will almost certainly never walk again."

"..." _If_.

I don't respond. I can't respond. I physically don't have the ability to get enough air in my lungs to respond. I feel more tears welling up in my eyelids. It's not even that I'm upset about Cyd's paralysis, I'm really not. It's just that word.

 _If_.

 _If_ she survives. _If_ we can time travel. _If. If. If._ I'm beginning to hate the word.

I'm supposed to be the optimistic one. The one who has endless hope for everything, who tries to remind everyone around me to look at the glass as half full, not half empty. But now the glass is empty, there's not even a sip left.

The warm tears stream down my cheeks, but no noise escapes me. I bite my trembling bottom lip and silently slump to the ground, lifting my chin to stare at the ceiling. Naldo slithers down beside me, Barry following heartbeats later. I lean my head on Naldo's shoulder and let out a soft sigh, one more ' _if_ ' running through my head.

 _If Cyd doesn't survive, I will have nothing left to hope for._

* * *

 _Emotions have never really been my strength_

 _They're simply just an endless source of angst_

 _But then I learned I might lose you, my friend_

 _And now it's hard to believe that this might be the end_

 _-Barry Eisenberg_

* * *

 ** _A/N: Hello, FanFiction! Pebblemist here, with the third chapter and the first poem by someone other than Shelby. Sorry for the long wait, but life's still been crazy, and sadly, though summer's coming, I doubt I'll be getting more time to write. Turns out, I'm going to have something of a social life this year!_**

 ** _As for those who believed this chapter was going to be here April 3rd, I was not talking about this story, I was referring to my main fic, Unexpected Ties II: Shadows of the Past. I didn't mean to lie to you. Truth is, I don't have a schedule planned for this story yet, so I can't tell you when the next update will be :(_**

 ** _One more thing: does anyone know where I can watch that Fight the Future episode I keep hearing about online without signing up for anything? I don't have cable at the moment and likely won't get it for quite a while. I don't have a set time period for this story, so I want to make sure I'm not completely disrupting canon. Plus, it sounds awesome._**

 ** _I believe that's all, Pebblemist out!_**

 ** _Stay gold, you people!_**


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